Inspiring Refrain is a Magic: The Gathering card, a rare blue sorcery from Commander 2021 (C21), a Commander product released in April 2021. It is collector number 27 in that set, with art by Izzy. It costs {4}{U}{U} (four generic and two blue mana) to cast, for a mana value of 6. Its colour identity is blue. It is legal in Legacy, Vintage, Commander, Duel Commander and Oathbreaker. It has been printed in 3 sets, from Commander 2021 (2021) to Doctor Who (2023). The latest aggregated market price for this printing is $0.41 (normal finish, as of 2026-11-02).
Card text
Draw two cards. Exile Inspiring Refrain with three time counters on it.
Suspend 3-{2}{U} (Rather than cast this card from your hand, you may pay {2}{U} and exile it with three time counters on it. At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a time counter. When the last is removed, you may cast it without paying its mana cost.)
Market price
Latest aggregated market price for the normal finish of this printing: $0.41 (as of 2026-11-02).
The figure covers this printing only; other printings carry their own price on their own page.
Format legality
Legality of Inspiring Refrain by format. Formats in which it is not legal are not listed.
Inspiring Refrain has been printed in 3 sets. The other printings are listed newest first, with the rarity and release year of each.
Printing
Rarity
Year
Doctor Who (WHO) #1061
Rare
2023
Doctor Who (WHO) #216
Rare
2023
Doctor Who (WHO) #470
Rare
2023
Doctor Who (WHO) #807
Rare
2023
Magic Online Promos (PRM) #90034
Rare
2021
Commander 2021 (C21) #354
Rare
2021
Official rulings
The 8 most recent official rulings for Inspiring Refrain, newest first.
If the second triggered ability is countered, the card can't be cast. It remains exiled with no time counters on it, and it's no longer suspended.
You can exile a card in your hand using suspend any time you could cast that card. Consider its card type, any effects that modify when you could cast it (such as flash) and any other effects that stop you from casting it (such as from Meddling Mage's ability) to determine if and when you can do this. Whether you could actually complete all steps in casting the card is irrelevant. For example, you can exile a card with suspend that has no mana cost or that requires a target even if no legal targets are available at that time.
Suspend is a keyword that represents three abilities. The first is a static ability that allows you to exile the card from your hand with the specified number of time counters (the number before the dash) on it by paying its suspend cost (listed after the dash). The second is a triggered ability that removes a time counter from the suspended card at the beginning of each of your upkeeps. The third is a triggered ability that gives you the option to cast the card when the last time counter is removed.
If an effect refers to a "suspended card," that means a card that (1) has suspend, (2) is in exile, and (3) has one or more time counters on it.
Exiling a card with suspend isn't casting that card. This action doesn't use the stack and can't be responded to.
When the last time counter is removed, the second triggered ability of suspend (the one that lets you cast the card) triggers. It doesn't matter why the last time counter was removed or what effect removed it.
If you cast a card "without paying its mana cost," such as with suspend, you can't choose to cast it for any alternative costs. You can, however, pay additional costs. If the card has any mandatory additional costs, you must pay those if you want to cast the card.
Cards exiled with suspend are exiled face up.
Similar cards
Other sorcery cards with a blue colour identity, ranked by how often they appear in Commander decks.